A Thirst for Life!

When I think of Dad one of the phrases that comes to mind is “a man with a thirst for life”. Dad has lived a very full life and always looks like he’s trying to make the most of every moment, even when he’s relaxing on the couch at home in the evening his mind is mulling over some particularly challenging crossword clue in the Times. The one overriding memory I have of Dad that really sums up this attitude was at my wedding to Lenny in April 2005, it all started on my stag do a few days earlier...

My brother Marc and his wife had only just arrived in Jo’burg and before he had time to take a breath we all jumped in our cars and headed off on my stag do. First up was a ridiculously difficult 9 holes at the Vodacom World of Golf, quickly followed by go carting. The evening finished with us all in some particularly dodgy bar hitting a rainbow variety of shots. Maybe it was the pain from the nasty burn Dad received on his elbow from his exuberance on the go kart but something made Dad particularly thirsty and daring that night. Our friend Raj introduced us to flaming sambucas, not by lighting them in the traditional way, in the glass, but rather (and upon reflection, I’m not sure how safe this is now...) by lighting them in our mouths! I don’t remember much about that night after that but the image of Dad crooking his neck back with his mouth open and full of sambuca waiting to be lit will stay with me forever. And I certainly didn’t expect it to be the precursor to an even wilder night!

On the night of our wedding the alcohol flowed in abundance, I can still recall the bar bill with the line “30 B52s” on it... Again the flaming sambucas were ignited one after another and Dad earned legendary status as the coolest Dad anyone had ever seen.

It was awesome!